Commonwealth Secretariat: Senior Officials Meeting

Scope and Content

Minutes and papers on Commonwealth Secretariat Senior Officials Meeting, Marlborough House, London, 20-23 May 1974; including background papers on comparative techniques for government for Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting in Ottawa, Aug 1973; papers on current and projected work of the Commonwealth Secretariat; paper by Neil Bax and Margaret Priestley 'Forward Planning and Financial Control on the Commonwealth', with associated material; papers on appointment of a consultant to undertake study of financial control and development expenditure; draft minutes of first session of Senior Officials Meeting, 20 May 1974, with manuscript notes on the meeting by J M Lee.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Commonwealth Secretariat was established in June 1965 by a decision of the 1964 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Prior to this date intra-Commonwealth affairs had been administered by British Civil Servants. The Secretariat was designed to assist internal co-operation between member states and was never intended to have executive powers.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Access Information

Open although advance notice should be given. Access to individual items may be restricted under the Data Protection Act or Freedom of Information legislation.

Acquisition Information

Deposited by Prof J M Lee, 1974.

Other Finding Aids

Catalogued to item level (see link to repository catalogue).

Archivist's Note

Compiled by Alan Kucia as part of the RSLP AIM25 Project.

Conditions Governing Use

No copying at permitted at present.

Location of Originals

Presumed to be in Commonwealth Secretariat Archives, Marlborough House.